Latest Piercing Rage: Tongue Splitting

[Cathryn Crawford]

Latest Piercing Rage: Tongue Splitting It's called tongue splitting and involves slicing the tongue right down the middle to create a forked look. Those who do it, call it body modification. Many others call it body mutilation.

Either way, it's not for the squeamish.

Why would anyone split his or her tongue? The Associated Press interviewed several people who did it, and there were three reasons typically cited:

The shock value is enormous. Some actually find the experience spiritual. They just like the way it looks and feels. While tongue splitting is edging up in popularity, it's still relatively uncommon. By some counts, about 2,000 people worldwide have done it, but curiosity is growing fast.

AP interviewed 19-year-old James Keen, pictured above, and asked him why he did this. "When I first saw it, I thought tongue-splitting was the most beautiful thing I've seen in my life," he said. When he couldn't find a surgeon to do the deed, he enlisted a body piercer from his hometown, Scottsville, Kentucky. The cost? $500 with no anesthetic. "People are very curious about how it feels." Keen says he can move both sides of his tongue independently of the other.

What are the side effects? Infection from bacteria in the mouth is quite possible. In addition, tongue splitting almost always forces people to learn to speak all over again and typically causes a lisp that may not ever go away.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers are so outraged by the procedure they are using the power of their office to make it illegal. One such person is Illinois state Rep. David Miller from Chicago's south suburbs who has authored a bill that requires tongue-splitting to be performed only for medical reasons and only by a doctor or dentist. AP reports that the bill passed nearly unanimously in the Illinois House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Miller is fully aware of individual rights and personal freedom, but he told AP, "But I'm not sure the people getting this done understand the risks. We're choosing safety over cosmetics." Those who oppose the bill say it will only force people who want the procedure to go underground and that could mean unsafe conditions.

In addition to lawmakers' efforts to stop the trend before it really takes off, several branches of the armed services have banned the practice. The Air Force gave one young airman a choice: Get his tongue sewn back together or be kicked out the Air Force.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Good thing. Some people thought I was serious. That's really entertaining to me!

[ContentiousObjector]

that is nothing, there is a girl at my kids school who has rings all around her belly button, her naval looks like a jet engine

[Hot Tabasco]

Meanwhile, some lawmakers are so outraged by the procedure they are using the power of their office to make it illegal.

More waste of elected lawmaker time and my money.............

[Hot Tabasco]

pictured above,

Where above?

[yooper]

"But do we need a law against it??? I am so sick of this mindset that says we need to make laws to protect people from their own foolish choices."

Do you support the seat belt law in your state?

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I tend to think a poster named Cathryn would not have her tongue split.(My Great-Grandmother was named Cathryn)

[reg45]

It must be popular with DemocRATS. They all speak with forked tongues.

[yooper]

Leave your body in it's original state. And I noted earlier that you're 19. You have an opportunity to tell your peers how stupid and unattractive piercings and splitting are. Your peers won't listen to me, because I'm an old fogie, but they'll listen to you. You're one of them. Go out and do good!

[Cathryn Crawford]

Well, names can be decieving! LOL

[Cathryn Crawford]

LOL - I do, I do. Usually they're too drunk to listen to me.

Just kidding.

[Hot Tabasco]

OK, saw the picture later on. Sorry

I am sooooooooooo tired of having to read about and deal with really, really stupid people......

[Cathryn Crawford]

Welcome to life in the real world. Is this your first trip?

:-)

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

True true. But you already confessed that you really would not get your tongue split.

[Cathryn Crawford]

I know. I gave myself away too soon. I should've acted more serious about it.

[ValenB4]

I think it's a great idea. It's so you.

[Marauder]

"Muh delegwee ilissssth (slurp) ilin bilisssthulneth (slurp) colommunulicalathun."
(Tonguesplitese for "My degree is in business communication.")
My thought is that until the subject gets a handle on speaking with forked tongue, there'll be a lot of extra "trilling" due to the extra tip flapping around in his mouth, as well as lisping, extra hissing, and drooling through the split when he's trying to pronounce an "S".
On the other hand, who knows? Maybe yodeling will be easier for him, or them.

[tutstar]

ping

[Hot Tabasco]

Is this your first trip?

No, not really. The amount of stupidity I have experienced in my lifetime would certainly surpass the time you have been around. But no matter how extreme the behavior seems, wait until next week......

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Well you did have some slightly malicious fun!

[JimSEA]

I can just hear my Thai friends next month ...."Ah Yes James, is tongue splitting yet another benefit of Western Civilization you are always babbling about??"